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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · track · capital · jam · season · saw · charge · pit

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — in a race
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. season — of the year
  6. track — a path
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. charge — electricity
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. pit — a hole
  13. saw — the tool
  14. season — in sport
  15. charge — a price
  16. track — to keep track
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. capital — a city
  19. saw — the tool
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. track — a song
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. charge — in control
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com